Orange County’s best middle schools excel by sculpting their programs to meet student interests and needs – creating a hook that makes it almost impossible for students to fail.

It’s a strategy that has returned eight schools to the top 10 of the sixth-annual Orange County Register’s annual middle school rankings – some for their fifth or sixth time.

At No. 1-ranked El Rancho Charter School – making its second appearance in the top 10 – teachers take student ideas to select class topics, clubs and technology, prompting an explosion of about 30 extracurricular programs in languages, music, theater and technology.

South Lake Middle, a six-time top 10 school, gives the same tests across subjects and grades so teachers can compare the effectiveness of different approaches.

And five-time top 10 campus Pioneer Middle School encourages every student to pursue their interests by starting campus clubs.

“Research clearly says if a student is actively involved in something at their school, they feel a part of it, they will do better academically,” Pioneer Principal Tracey Vander Hayden said. “By the time they get to high school, they feel good and successful about accomplishing the day to day assignments and projects that teachers are requiring them to do.”

In the Register’s 2014 report on middle school quality, 88 campuses were ranked on the strength of academic performance and campus environments, including algebra proficiency, physical fitness, discipline and diversity. The 18 top schools were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.

In keeping with a statewide slump in standardized test scores, Orange County middle schools’ Academic Performance Index scores dipped this year, with the average score down about 3 points to 853 in 2013. None of the 88 ranked schools met increasingly stringent federal No Child Left Behind goals; in the Register’s 2013 rankings, 12 schools met federal standards.

The number of seventh- and eighth-graders testing proficient or advanced in algebra dropped as well, ranging from a high of 57 percent to a low of 3 percent.

FORGING CONNECTIONS

Middle school leaders say part of their challenge is to ensure students are connected to their schools – the more they feel at home, the better they will do.

“I have my antennae up for a child who feels disconnected,” said teacher Amy Ronce of No. 3 Orchard Hills School in Tustin Unified. “It’s so important for these kids to find their element and find a place that’s emotionally safe where they can grow. It’s my job to help those students find their own light.”

At Thurston Middle School, educators look beyond grades to the reasons a student might be failing. Then, they connect the student with a counselor to solve the problem. The Laguna Beach school ranked fifth this year on its second appearance in the top 10.

“If we see a kid who might not need academic support but they still need to be challenged, we make sure they participate in a club or are giving back in another way,” Thurston Principal Jenny Salberg said. “We are trying to connect that kid to school. We want him to love it as much as we love it.”

Teachers at all the top middle schools provide frequent feedback after each assignment, quiz or test so that struggling students can be identified quickly.

South Lake Middle allows teachers to access all of a student’s grades and progress reports, to quickly spot patterns of success and troubles, Principal Bruce Baron said.

“This is a time where we can really gather kids together and get an understanding of who they are, what they want to be, what their passions are,” Baron said. “We believe this can be some of the best two years of your life.”

South Lake recently implemented a 26-minute tutorial period four days a week, during which teachers and honors students tutor struggling students. After starting the tutorial, the number of students on honor roll jumped from 66 percent to 74 percent, Baron said.

At No. 2-ranked Ladera Ranch Middle School teachers meet frequently in subject and grade level teams to share most effective ways of teaching. The school has been in the top 10 for five years.

“We push our kids but we support our kids,” said Ladera Principal George Duarte. “Hopefully, at the end of the day the kids go home exhausted from all the learning.”

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